Operations and Maintenance Support for UBC Bioimaging Facility

不列颠哥伦比亚省生物成像设施(BIF)是加拿大西部最全面的生物成像设施，也是卑诗省独有的，它提供了其他北美设施所不具备的三项功能：(1)完整的管理结构，包括咨询委员会、学术主任、研究经理和训练有素的技术人员；(2)全面的光学显微镜单位，包括组织培养、共焦和多光子成像以及图像处理和分析；以及(3)生物电子显微镜单位，包括与徕卡微系统公司的合作伙伴关系。BIF由植物系管理，其人员包括一名学术主任(Tier 1 CRC Geoffrey Wasteneys)、一名研究经理(Garnet Marten)和三名技术人员(EM专家德里克·霍恩和布拉德福德·罗斯以及光学显微镜专家凯文·霍奇森)。 来自UBC的25个系、西蒙·弗雷泽大学、汤普森·里弗斯大学、当地医院和工业界的研究人员利用了BIF。自2007年以来，已培训了500多名HQP，其中包括145名PDF、234名博士、76名MBA、技术人员以及荣誉本科生。在过去的三年里，使用BIF的研究人员已经为UBC带来了超过4100万美元的赠款资金。该机构排名前15位的研究小组在过去五年中发表了600多份出版物，被引用超过8000次。其他研究成果包括6项专利和18项行业合作。 BIF每年的运营成本为480,000美元，而随着33万美元的资金流入，BIF面临着150,000美元的赤字。对BIF的支持突出了该设施对研究界的重要性。截至2013年7月，基金的现有基础设施和技术工作人员由非洲投资信托基金赠款提供支助，并通过用户费用收回费用作为补充。UBC通过植物学和动物学系为研究经理提供工资支持，最近还为技术人员提供了12万美元的工资支持。不列颠哥伦比亚省还提供资金对关键基础设施进行紧急维修(例如，2013年9月提供10,000美元修复一台瞬变电磁炉，最近提供10,000美元修复一台高压冷冻机)。该机构提供了大量资金(1 200 000美元)来建造空间，以容纳现有的基础设施。 我们建议使用NSERC OMSRF资金购买UBC BIF托管的FEI Tecnai透射电子显微镜(42,876美元)和奥林巴斯FV1000共焦/多光子光学显微镜(9,600美元)的服务合同，以便进行优先服务和维护访问，以确保这些仪器保持在随时可用的状态。除了这些服务合同外，我们还提议NSERC OSMRE支持两名技术人员的工资，布拉德福德·罗斯的工资为54,180美元，凯文·霍奇森的工资为43,344美元，他最初受雇为FEI TEM和奥林巴斯FV1000提供支持。

The UBC Bioimaging Facility (BIF) is the most comprehensive bioimaging facility in Western Canada and unique to BC and offers a combination of three things that no other North American facility does: (1) a complete management structure including an advisory committee, an academic director, a research manager and highly trained technical staff, (2) a comprehensive light microscopy unit with tissue culture, confocal and multi-photon imaging and image processing and analysis, and (3) a biological electron microscopy unit including a partnership with Leica Microsystems. BIF is administered by the Department of Botany and its personnel comprise an Academic Director (Tier 1 CRC Geoffrey Wasteneys), a Research Manager (Garnet Martens), and three technicians (EM specialists Derrick Horne and Bradford Ross and light microscopy specialist Kevin Hodgson). Researchers from 25 UBC departments, Simon Fraser University, Thompson Rivers University, local hospitals and industry utilize the BIF. Since 2007, over 500 HQP have been trained, including 145 PDFs, 234 PhDs, 76 MScs, technical staff as well as Honours undergraduates. Researchers using BIF have brought in over $41 million in grant funding to UBC in the past 3 years. The top 15 research groups of the facility have produced over 600 publications in the past five years, which were cited over 8000 times. Other research outputs include 6 patents and 18 industry collaborations. The annual operating cost of the BIF is $480,000 and with incoming funds of $330,00 BIF is faced with a $150,000 deficit. Support for the BIF highlights the importance of the facility to the research community. Up until July 2013 the existing infrastructure and technical staff of the BIF were supported by a CFI IOF grant and supplemented by cost recovery generated through user fees. UBC provides salary support through the Departments of Botany and Zoology for the Research Manager and has recently provided $120,000 for technician salary support. UBC has also provided funds to perform emergency repairs on key infrastructure (e.g. $10,000 in September 2013 to repair a TEM and recently $10,000 to repair a high pressure freezer). The institution has provided significant funds ($1,200,000) to construct space to house the existing infrastructure. We propose to use the NSERC OMSRF funds to purchase service contracts for UBC BIF hosted FEI Tecnai transmission electron microscope ($42,876) and the Olympus FV1000 confocal/multiphoton light microscope ($9,600) in order to have prioritized service and maintenance visits to ensure that these instruments are maintained in a ready-to-use condition. In addition to these service contracts, we propose that NSERC OSMRE supports salaries of two technicians, $54,180 for Bradford Ross and $43,344 for Kevin Hodgson, initially hired to support the FEI TEM and Olympus FV1000.